As the saying goes: the eyes are the windows to the soul—and in the land of TikTok, eyes possess the transformative ability to bend appearances. A quick scroll through BeautyTok will have you in awe of the endless ways possible to play with make-up and the metamorphic ability with an arsenal of products on hand. From dark smokey lids to fierce cat-eyes, we’re in no shortage of make-up inspiration that TikTok has to offer; but in the fast-paced realm of the beauty world online, it comes as no surprise that yet another makeup trend has gone viral. Enter: doe eyes versus siren eyes—a makeup trend that showcases the two extremities of eye looks from cute to sexy. It is also worth noting that celebrities like Alexa Demie and Dove Cameron have been identified as major inspirations for the siren eye look on the platform as they’ve already channelled the ultimate femme fatale on the red carpets and their Instagrams even before the trend blew up.
Experimenting with the opposing aesthetics, TikTokers have found themselves hopping onto the trend to flaunt the extreme contrast in each look. In the words of seasoned makeup guru and Jagua artist, See Min Ng, “Doe-eyed make-up is to make the eyes look rounder, bigger, and sometimes droopier for that innocent look. Siren-eyed makeup on the other hand, is to make the eyes look longer, slanted up, sultry, fierce and mysterious.”
@hayleybuix Do you have Doe or Siren eyes? #makeup #sireneyes #doeeyes #makeuptransformation ♬ original sound – bernardo
Whilst beauty TikTokers seem to capture the essence of the doe and siren eyes effortlessly and transition to each look with a simple snap of the fingers, catching onto the subtleties of each look may prove to be a little difficult for the average scroller. If you’re wondering which of the two you should attempt, note that beyond the flick of eyeliner, there’s much more to consider if you want to emulate each look. The added flair of inner corner liner and even down to highlighting the bottom lash line are non-negotiables to making the eyes truly pop.
To delve deeper, Vogue Singapore consulted Ng on tips and tricks to nailing the buzz-worthy eye make-up and which look may suit your eye shape better for everyday wear. Along with that, perhaps it might be worth turning to celebrities to help you in your journey to recreate each look. Below, we lay out everything you need to know about doe and siren eyes.
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Siren eyes: Zoë Kravitz
To create that mysterious siren eyes look, the main objective is to elongate the eye and pair it with a sultry, fluttery finish using the right false eyelashes. “We can elongate the eyes by lining the inner corners and a long wing liner at the end of the eyes. The point of the look is to also create an upwards slant, so the wing liner has to slant upwards (towards above your ear, following the direction of your lower lid slant). The inner corner liner is a little trickier as the angle of the liner is dependent on your individual eye shape and whether or not you have an epicanthic fold,” Ng explains.
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Siren eyes: Dove Cameron
Ng’s tip to nail the siren eye look? “Experiment with different angles, thickness, and length of the liner until it works for you. For me, I generally extend out the inner corners of my eye by aligning the inner corner liner with the upper and lower lid. This means I draw a little triangle in my inner corner to mimic the shape of almond eyes instead of just drawing a singular line due to the presence of an epicanthic fold on my droopy, round eyes.”
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Siren eyes: Alexa Demie
Though the make-up is a key part of getting the seductive femme fatale look down, the way you carry yourself also matters. “One of the key feature of the look is also in the gaze. If we look closely at celebrities like Bella Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Alexa Demie, and Angelina Jolie, they all have the same sultry gaze that seems to simultaneously look like they are looking at something very far away while boring into your soul,” Ng adds.
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Siren eyes: Bella Hadid
Bella’s sensuous gaze is exemplified by the diffused smokey eye shadow, a different take on the usual sharp line as seen on other celebrities. The defined inner corner and extended shadow makes for a softer yet equally seductive gaze.
“Generally, almond-shaped eyes and eyes that slant upwards suit the siren-eyed look better, while rounder, bigger eyes with softer features would suit the doe-eyed look. However, both looks are really versatile and can be adapted to different eye shapes, so the most important factor to consider is what type of look the person is after.”
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Doe eyes: Sydney Sweeney
When it comes to recreating doe eyes, Ng has some major tips to get the look right: “Instead of focusing on elongating the eyes, line the eyes in a way to make them rounder. So instead of drawing a uniform line across the upper lid, try to increase the thickness of the liner towards the centre of the eyes to create a rounder shape. It’s also important to tight line using a white or beige liner on the lower lash line to further enlargen the eyes.”
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Doe eyes: IU
As the nation’s little sister, IU’s signature innocent gaze and delicate features are a prime example of how doe-eyed makeup exudes an aura of purity and kindness. “Generally, straighter or even brows that are slanted downwards will help soften the entire face and contribute to the doe-eyed look,” says Ng.
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Doe eyes: Tzuyu
“Another way of creating the doe-eyed effect is to draw on aegyo-sal, it’s a method that’s most popular in South Korean and other Asian regions,” Ng observes. Aegyo-sal refers to the pocket of fat right below the eye, and by highlighting and emphasising the under-eye fat, it creates the illusion of a fresher, more youthful gaze.
To emulate natural aegyo-sal as seen on TWICE’s Tzuyu, start by squinting slightly to find where your natural aegyo-sal ends, and go in with a light brown eye-shadow or eyebrow pencil to draw a faint line right below where it ends. Make sure to blend out the line to prevent any harsh lines below your eyes and highlight the area between the line and your eye with a natural shade of highlighter.
